


ICYMI

by heyjupiter



Series: Citizens For a A Thanos-Free Universe [2]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: 5+1 Things, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Gen, M/M, Multi, Polyamory, Science Boyfriends, Science Bros, Weddings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-02
Updated: 2018-06-02
Packaged: 2019-05-17 10:44:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,285
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14830796
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heyjupiter/pseuds/heyjupiter
Summary: 5 things Bruce Banner missed while he was on Sakaar + 1 thing he didn't.





	ICYMI

**Author's Note:**

> I set this as a sequel to [Everything Is Easier When You're Home](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14733788) because that story sets up Bruce's (Thanos-free) homecoming, but if you don't want to read that one, you should be able to follow this one fine if you can accept an AU where Thanos doesn't intercept the Asgardian ships.
> 
> Thanks as ever to my Science Ladybro tarajuku ♥

1) 

Bruce awoke with a start. His eyes adjusted to the darkness and he recognized where he was: the simple bedroom he'd claimed at the new Avengers training center. It was closest to the building's allegedly Hulk-proof basement, which Bruce liked knowing, although he didn't think he was at risk of accidentally Hulking out any time soon. Since he'd gotten back to Earth a few weeks ago, he hadn't felt even a whisper of the Other Guy. Still: it was always best to be prepared.

Of course, half the time he ended up sleeping in Tony and Pepper's room, which was larger, fancier, and farther from the basement. But Tony and Pepper had gone back to the city, so tonight he was alone, and according to the fitness tracker watch Tony had given him, it was a little after 2am. He lay in bed for a moment, counting his breaths and hoping to fall back to sleep. Eventually, though, he had to give up on that lost cause. 

Since he'd returned to Earth, Bruce had slept fitfully. He should have been collecting data on how space travel affected one's circadian rhythms, but he was missing a lot of key data points. All he knew conclusively was that he woke up at odd times. Tony had offered him some sleeping pills, but Bruce was always afraid of how medications like that might affect the Other Guy. Besides, it wasn't like Bruce had a job at the moment, so it didn't matter if he took afternoon naps like a preschooler.

Bruce slipped on a pair of canvas shoes and headed to the building's lounge. He didn't expect to find anyone else there, but he'd read that it was good to treat insomnia with a change of scene, rather than create mental associations between one's bed and sleeplessness. Also, there were fun toys in the lounge.

He turned on low lighting in the lounge and briefly perused his entertainment options. There were Legos, puzzles, adult coloring books, fidget toys--all the staples of a therapist's office. There was also a bookshelf and a desk inbox tray labeled "ICYMI." Pepper had originally set it up for him, and everyone else had contributed to it. It was full of things that Bruce had missed over the last 2 years--news clippings, Blu-Rays, books, and other random items. Peter Parker kept printing out Internet memes and putting them in the tray. They rarely made much sense to Bruce, but he appreciated the attempts. There was also a digital ICYMI Dropbox connected to Bruce's new tablet, but he preferred the tactile randomness of the physical box.

Bruce picked up the last year's _Best American Science and Nature Writing_ , put on his reading glasses, and curled up on the couch. He was in the middle of an expose about the chemicals used in nail salons when he heard footsteps. 

"Bruce! I hoped you'd be awake," Tony said.

"It's like three in the morning," Bruce said.

"Exactly, so I knew nobody else would be up."

"Nobody should be up. I didn't think you were coming back until tomorrow."

Tony shrugged. "I couldn't sleep, so I decided to come back early. Pepper has a meeting in the morning so she's staying in the city. Happy's there too. Hey, you hungry?"

"Not really." Tony scowled, and Bruce noticed he was holding an insulated bag. 

"Not even a little bit?" Tony asked.

Bruce sighed and tucked a bookmark in his book. "What do you have?"

"I was thinking about things you missed, and…" Tony sat down next to Bruce, unzipped the bag and produced a pint of ice cream with a flourish. "You have your own Ben and Jerry's flavor!"

Bruce took the pint. "Hulk-a Hulk-a Burning Fudge? That is...really a reach for that pun, huh." He studied the package's artistic rendering of the Hulk. "People really buy this?"

"Oh sure, it's really popular. Maybe more popular than mine, even," Tony said, handing over a pint of Stark Raving Hazelnut.

"See, yours works better on a pun level. And who'd want to eat something with the Hulk on the package?"

"Lots of people! The Hulk is cool."

Bruce shook his head. "Shouldn't they have had to ask my permission or something?"

Tony finally seemed to notice that Bruce wasn't as excited about the ice cream as Tony had hoped. "Oh...I gave them permission on your behalf. I...didn't want you to be left out. They made a donation to charity for your likeness rights!"

"That's nice, I guess. Uh, what charity?"

"Doctors Without Borders. Seemed appropriate, although they didn't really get it."

"I guess they wouldn't."

"And they have to use fair-trade chocolate," Tony added proudly.

Bruce smiled, though he still couldn't imagine anyone wanting to buy ice cream with the Hulk on it. 

Tony pulled plastic spoons out of the bag and said, "C'mon, you have to try your own ice cream."

Bruce took the spoon, knowing he had to pick his battles with Tony, and this one didn't seem worth fighting. He took a bite, while Tony watched him expectantly. "It's good," he managed. "I'm surprised it's not green, though."

"Hmm, yeah, they could have gone with Mint Chocolate Smash."

"Radiation Poisoning Pistachio."

"Marketing's not really your strong suit."

"Definitely not what any of my degrees are in." Bruce set down his spoon on the container's lid.

"Here, try mine," Tony insisted. 

Bruce obliged, and said, "Oh, yours is better." 

"What? No, it's not," Tony said, taking a bite of Hulk flavor. 

"That one is too sweet."

"It's ice cream, that's the point. Mine has too much stuff in it."

"It's good! It's interesting," Bruce said, taking another bite. The Stark Raving Hazelnut flavor did have a lot of stuff in it--hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, pretzels, and a dark chocolate swirl in coffee ice cream--but Bruce liked it. He'd never had much of a sweet tooth, and he preferred the savory heft to this flavor.

"Too sweet," Tony muttered in disbelief. 

"What flavors did everybody else get?" 

"Hmm?"

"The other Avengers?"

"Oh. Well...you know, Natasha and Clint like to keep a low profile, so…"

Bruce, too, liked to keep a low profile, but he supposed it wasn't really _his_ face on the carton. "What's Cap's, like, apple pie or something?"

"Well…" Tony winced. Bruce still hadn't gotten a full story out of Tony about where the other Avengers were, and nobody was putting anything about it in his ICYMI box. He knew he could easily google it, but he wanted to hear it from Tony. Bruce knew better than most people how the media could get a story wrong. "He wasn't available," Tony concluded.

"What about Rhodey?"

"Since he's technically in the US military, media requests like this have to be approved by a commanding officer...and his didn't."

"Are you saying that the only two Avengers with ice cream flavors are Iron Man and Hulk?"

"Well, yes. The _best_ two Avengers."

Bruce put down his spoon. "Tony, this is weird."

"But nice weird? Like macadamia nuts in ice cream weird?"

"Not the ice cream. I mean, kind of the ice cream. But--you know, as far as I remember, it was only weeks ago that we were all a team...and now we don't even know where half the Avengers are?" 

"I know," Tony said. "Look, I know, I fucked up, I just--"

"Wait, _you_ fucked up? Tony, what happened?"

Tony took another bite of ice cream. "Really? You haven't already read about it?"

"Bits and pieces," Bruce admitted. "But I'd rather hear it from you."

"It's all...Bruce, I was in a really bad place then. I can see that now. I--I was really spiraling, and Pepper left, and you left--and I don't blame either of you, but, I, uh." Bruce tentatively reached out and put a hand on Tony's knee. Tony kept fidgeting with his spoon and didn't acknowledge Bruce's gesture, but he continued talking.

"There was an incident...Wanda messed up with her powers, and there were some civilian casualties. It was--kind of a breaking point, in public opinion. Obviously not the first time that some bystanders were hurt by...by Avengers, but...it was kind of dramatic." Bruce dug his nails into his palms, thinking of how many innocent people the Hulk had hurt. "So the UN put forth these Accords, uh, the Sokovia Accords, that basically would put the Avengers--and other, 'enhanced' beings, under the control of the UN. Since, you know, SHIELD is...not a going concern."

"Okay," Bruce said. "That sounds...reasonable, I guess."

"That's what I thought," Tony said, sounding relieved. "I mean, the UN, right? But Steve didn't want to sign--he thought he'd lose the ability to always do the right thing. Or whatever."

"Mmm."

"So some of us signed, and some of us didn't. Which technically meant that half the Avengers were officially no longer able to, you know, Avenge. But I don't know that it would have been such a disaster if--well, do you remember hearing about Steve's friend, Bucky Barnes?"

"Sure, I guess. The Howling Commandos and all that."

"Well, it turns out, Bucky didn't die in the war, he was actually cryogenically frozen and brainwashed to be a Soviet assassin."

"...yikes."

"They called him the Winter Soldier. Anyway, Hydra sent him to kill the king of Wakanda, which triggered a whole new international incident. The UN called for the Winter Soldier to be captured and brought in for trial, which the Avengers were supposed to do. Only...Steve wasn't officially an Avenger, and he didn't want us to arrest Bucky."

"It got personal," Bruce said.

"Yes. Exactly. And I--I thought we should rise above that, for--I mean he killed the king of Wakanda, he killed a bunch of people, he's--he was a very dangerous guy. And we fought, and I--and the UN decided we didn't do a good enough job so they were going to take over. But then I found out--uh. Shit." Tony snapped his plastic spoon in half. Bruce handed his own discarded spoon to Tony, who took it with a nod and continued twisting it in his hands. "The thing is, I found out that the Winter Soldier was responsible for killing my parents, and I--and then it was personal for me, too."

"Oh, Tony, I'm sorry."

"I mean, it--it was a long time ago, and--and he was brainwashed--but he _killed my mom_ and I just--"

Bruce hesitantly put an arm around Tony, and this time Tony leaned into it. Speaking softly into Bruce's shoulder, Tony continued, "So we fought--god, I fought _Captain America_ \--and it--we both got played. Somehow Hydra was behind all of it, I...I don't know. But since I signed the Accords, it ended up that I was the hero and Steve was the outlaw. Can you imagine."

Bruce didn't know what to say, so he said nothing, but tightened his arm around Tony. He felt like he was probably still missing some details, but he didn't want to encourage Tony to get further into one of his self-loathing spirals.

"So...that's why it's so sparsely populated around here," Tony said, his voice slightly shaky. "Oh, and it's my fault Rhodey's hurt."

"I think it's probably the fault of whoever actually hit him," Bruce suggested. Then he winced, hoping he hadn't just put his foot in his mouth. "Uh...I assume you didn't, right?" He couldn't imagine Tony fighting against Rhodey, but then, it was also hard to imagine most of what Tony had just told him.

"Not personally, no, but it was my fault he was out there--"

"I'm sure he went because he thought it was the right thing to do. He's his own person, Tony. So's Steve."

"Yeah," Tony said. He didn't sound fully convinced, but he sounded better.

Bruce rubbed circles around Tony's back. Tony sighed and said, "I'm glad you're back home, Bruce."

"Me too," Bruce said. Tony shifted his weight and tugged Bruce to lie down horizontally on the couch. Bruce kept his arms around Tony and felt himself drift back to sleep.

In the morning he woke up to a crick in his neck, a sticky puddle of melted ice cream on the table, and a Hulk-a Hulk-a Burning Fudge flavored kiss from Tony. He felt better rested than he had in weeks.

* * *

2) 

"Hey, Dr. Banner, do you want to play Fortnite with us?" Peter asked.

"Uh...sure. What's Fortnite?" Bruce asked. He was in the lab, ostensibly testing the flexural strength of some metal alloys for Tony, but it didn't seem urgent. In fact, he suspected Tony was inventing projects to keep Bruce occupied. 

Besides, Bruce liked Peter. His youthful optimism was refreshing, if sometimes misguided.

" _What's Fortnite?_ " asked the kid standing next to Peter. "Uh, only the best game ever? You haven't heard of it?" Peter elbowed his friend in an un-subtle way, and the kid said, "Ohh, right, they don't have Fortnite in space? That sucks."

"Sorry...who are you?" Bruce asked. He thought Tony would have mentioned it if he'd acquired another superpowered child, but sometimes Tony could be forgetful.

"Oh! Duh. This is my friend, Ned."

"I'm Peter's Guy in the Chair," Ned said proudly. 

Bruce decided not to ask. Instead, he extended his hand and said, "I'm Bruce Banner."

"No, I know," Ned said, shaking his hand enthusiastically. "There's a poster of you in our physics room."

"Of...me? Or…"

"No, it's you, not, um, the Other Guy," Peter said. Peter had finally started to pick up on the fact that Bruce wasn't especially fond of talking about the Hulk. 

"Weird," Bruce muttered. 

"Well...anyway, we'll be in the lounge, you can come up whenever you're ready," Peter said.

"Sounds good, I'll see you in a few." The teens ran off, and Bruce was thankful that he couldn't make out whatever Ned was whispering on his way out. Bruce made a few more notes and put away the alloy samples. When he made it up to the lounge, the kids were already there with Tony and Rhodey, each holding a phone or tablet.

Peter handed a tablet to Bruce and quickly explained the controls to him. Bruce was apparently controlling a generic-looking blonde axe-wielding soldier. 

"Everybody starts with the pickaxe, so you'll want to find a new weapon as soon as you can," Peter said.

"What, they're just like, lying around?"

"Yeah? Sometimes they're in like boxes and stuff. Not here, we're in the lobby, but when the game starts we'll all get dropped on an island."

"An island full of weapons," Bruce said flatly.

"Yeah?"

"C'mon, Banner, you've played video games before, right?" Tony asked. "There are just weapons on the ground and you pick them up, it's fine. It's not a real place."

"Yeah, okay, fine," Bruce said. "So we're on an island full of weapons and…"

"And there are 100 other people, well, I guess 99 other people besides you, and you have to kill everyone else until you're the last one standing," Peter said.

"Wait, why?"

"Because that's the game," Peter said.

"What did these other people do to me?" Bruce asked.

"Are you looking for character backstory for a shoot-em-up video game?" Tony asked.

"I guess, yeah," Bruce said. "I mean is there, uh, a princess to rescue, or...something?"

"No, it's just for fun," Peter said. "And there's online rankings and stuff."

"It's kinda like _The Hunger Games_. Or _Battle Royale_ ," Ned said.

"Don't overthink it," Tony advised. "You're not actually killing children. Maybe just their self esteem."

Rhodey coughed and said, "Oh, you can also build forts."

"It's kind of a waste of time, though," Ned said. 

"That's debatable," Tony said.

"Okay, whatever, yeah, you can build stuff," Peter said. 

"Oh. Like Minecraft?" Bruce asked.

"Not really," Peter said.

"Dude, you play Minecraft?" Ned asked.

"No, but I've heard of it…"

"Well, it's not like Minecraft," Peter said. "You ready to start?"

"Sure, I guess," Bruce said. He felt like he was overreacting to the game's premise, and he didn't want to ruin everyone else's fun. He'd probably be the first one to die, anyway, and then he could just watch.

"You're going down, Tony," Rhodey vowed.

"Big talk from the guy who came in 10th place last round," Tony said.

"You got lucky."

Bruce tuned out the trash talk and focused on watching his onscreen avatar jump out of a flying schoolbus. It was kind of a funny image. Cartoonish. It was just a game, really. Sure enough, he found a gun lying on the ground and picked it up. He walked around the field, and before long, he noticed another person in the corner of the screen. Some instinct took over and he turned and fired. An alert on his screen let him know that he'd eliminated "FinalPam420."

"Hey, nice job, Dr. Banner!" Peter said. "Ahh, die! Oh, not you."

Bruce roamed the island and found that the game came naturally to him. He found high ground and took down other players with ease. When the map closed in, he found a new location and kept alert. Sometimes he ignored fights, letting other players take each other out while he waited behind a rock. He sensed someone sneaking up on him, and he whirled around and took them out. The screen let him know he'd eliminated "NothingButNed" and the anguished cry next to him let him know that his shot had landed within the room, not on one of the many random internet strangers on their island.

"No way, man, I thought you never played this before!" Ned wailed.

"Sorry!" Bruce said.

"Don't apologize, this is the game," Tony said. "Ahh, dammit!" He threw down his tablet dramatically. The onscreen scroll told Bruce that WarMachineRox had eliminated StarkMan, though Bruce also could have figured that out from Rhodey's cheerful "Hell yeah!" and Tony's anguished cry.

Bruce returned his focus to the game, ignoring the trash talk in the room. He had no idea how much time had passed when Peter yelled, "Ahh, you killed me!" and the screen congratulated Bruce on his win. Bruce looked up and realized he was breathing harder than a sedentary activity required.

"I'm sorry--I--I don't think I like this game," Bruce said. He left the tablet on an end table and walked briskly down the hallway.

Behind him, Peter said, "What? No way, you're a natural."

Bruce ignored him and focused on getting to the quiet of his bedroom. Once there, he sat down on the floor, hugging his knees and trying to breathe. He heard a persistent knock on the door, and called, "Sorry, I don't want to play."

He was surprised to hear Rhodey respond, "I know. Can I come in?"

"It's not locked," Bruce said.

Rhodey came in and carefully sat down next to Bruce, his legs stretched out straight in front of him, the braces lightly glowing in the dim room. "Hey. I didn't think you should be alone right now."

"I'm not--I'm not gonna--"

"I know," Rhodey said. "I just meant for your sake. Just breathe, Bruce."

"Mm."

"We don't have to talk about it if you don't want to, but I know trauma when I see it, man," Rhodey said.

"It--it was just a game."

"Maybe this was, today, but...not everything is."

"I don't even really remember most of what happened."

"That must be hard," Rhodey said.

"You shouldn't have to--to comfort me," Bruce said. "You've been through worse than me."

"It's not a competition," Rhodey said patiently. 

"I'm fine," Bruce said.

"Mm-hmm."

Bruce bent his head further into his knees and breathed. Rhodey sat quietly. Finally, Bruce said, "I--I don't remember it, consciously, but I think--I think I must have killed people. Like--a--a lot of people. On Sakaar."

"Hey, I've killed people here on Earth," Rhodey said. "It fucks you up for sure. Even if you know you had to do it, or be killed yourself."

"That's the thing. I don't think the--Hulk can be killed. So I don't understand why he--I--we would have--for _years_ , just…" Bruce trailed off.

"But you don't remember, right? So you don't know what you were up against. Maybe there are things out there bigger and badder than the Hulk. Or maybe you--he--had some other good reason. Maybe there was a...princess you were trying to rescue."

Bruce laughed. "If that's the case, I don't think I succeeded." Then he thought about it. He had the haziest memories of Val. He hadn't had much of a chance to talk to her about it, as Bruce. Had Hulk been trying to help her? He wished he could talk to her, and then it occurred to him that perhaps he could. Thor was on Earth, though Bruce hadn't seen him yet. He was busy helping resettle the Asgardian refugees. Maybe Val was with him.

"Sometimes all you can do is try," Rhodey said. 

"Thanks, Yoda," Bruce said, forcing out a joke, out of habit.

"See, I know you're not yourself if you're messing up Star Wars characters. Yoda said 'there is no try,' which is actually one of the most bullshit parts of that movie. Trying's important."

"Hmm."

"I was with Tony for a lot of the worst of his anxiety attacks. He still has them from time to time, but he's been doing better. Something that helped him was just dumb distractions. Some of it was productive...some of it was destructive...some of it was just playing a lot of video games. You remember, you were there for some of the aftermath."

"It's not the same."

"Of course not, and it's not the same as when I wake up freaked because I've been reliving my accident. But it's not totally different, either."

Bruce nodded.

"Anyway, like I said, we don't have to talk about it. But if you ever do, I'm here for you."

"Thanks, Rhodey."

True to his word, Rhodey sat quietly next to Bruce, while Bruce calmly counted his breaths and thought about Rhodey's words.

Then Tony flung the door open and said, "Wow, this is the most depressing party I've ever seen, and that is including the time I was actively being poisoned to death at my own birthday party."

"Sorry I'm not more entertaining," Bruce said.

"Actually, I will be honest, watching you destroy those kids at Fortnite was pretty entertaining."

Bruce buried his face in his knees.

"Banner, lighten up, it was just a game. They're all fine." Rhodey cleared his throat and Tony said, "Ah. But you're not. Right."

Tony stood in the doorway, shifting from foot to foot. Rhodey said, "I don't think he wants to talk about it right now."

"That's fine, we don't have to talk, we can just…" Tony trailed off, and Bruce snorted despite himself. "Okay, fine, I admit that I personally do tend to process things verbally...but....should I go? Am I interrupting something?"

"Yes," Rhodey said, at the same moment that Bruce said, "No."

"So...maybe," Tony asked. 

"I just don't like thinking about...about the stuff I must have done. As the...Hulk."

"Oh, yeah, two years in space fight club probably would improve your combat tactics, huh?"

"Tony!" Rhodey scolded.

"Ugh. Sorry. I'm not always--not always the best at...this kind of thing," Tony said with a sigh. "I know, I know, you're shocked."

Bruce and Rhodey laughed, and Tony continued, "Uh, you want some...water or something? LaCroix?"

"Sure," Bruce said.

"I will be right back."

Tony left and Rhodey said, "If you want him to leave you alone, you have to tell him, he's not gonna pick up on subtle cues."

"No, I--I know," Bruce said. "It's just…ah, well, you know Tony." Besides, Tony's chatter could be a useful distraction.

"Yeah," Rhodey agreed.

Tony returned with a couple of cans. "We're out of coconut but I brought lime and... _pamplemousse_? Why is this one in French? Is this Canadian?"

"Whichever is fine," Bruce said. Tony handed him the lime one and continued to stare at the pamplemousse one.

"And for that matter, are you supposed to say LaCroy or LaCwah? Or something else?"

"I think it's LaCroy. If you're not a douchebag," Rhodey said.

"If you don't want to be a douchebag, you shouldn't drink water out of a can. No offense."

"Jesus Christ, Tony," Rhodey said.

"I'm just saying," Tony said. He handed the other can to Rhodey and added, "The kids went home. I'll be back in the lounge if you want to do something less depressing than sit on the floor in the dark. I, uh, I think we still have Minecraft installed."

"Thanks," Bruce said. After lingering for another long moment in the doorway, Tony actually left, sliding the door shut behind him. Somehow the silence Tony left in his wake was more quiet than the room had been before he'd arrived.

Bruce sipped his seltzer. His feet were starting to fall asleep, and he felt bad for keeping Rhodey on the floor for so long. Although Rhodey never complained nor seemed encumbered by his braces, Bruce was sure that if it was uncomfortable for him, it was worse for Rhodey.

"Rhodey--I--thank you," Bruce said. "I didn't mean to derail your afternoon like this."

"Hey, anytime, man. Besides, to be honest, I'm kinda sick of Fortnite anyway."

"You wanna go try some Minecraft?" 

"It might be nice to build something."

Bruce rose to a stand and offered Rhodey a hand up.

* * *

3)

"Hey, Bruce, good morning, any water left in the kettle for me?" Pepper asked. In contrast to Bruce's flannel pajama pants and T-shirt, she looked ready to mastermind a corporate takeover, or whatever it was Pepper did all day. Bruce didn't have much of a head for the business side of things.

"Sure," Bruce said. "You want coffee?"

"Please." 

Bruce put his teabag in his mug to steep and pulled the French press out of the cupboard for Pepper. She looked at her fitness tracker and said, "I've already done 6,000 steps today."

"You must have gotten up early."

"It's hard to sleep in when Tony's got a night light installed in his chest," Pepper muttered. She started eating a Greek yogurt while watching the water in the French press slowly turn coffee-colored. "Doesn't it bother you?"

"I, uh, I can get used to a lot, I guess," Bruce said, stirring honey into his tea. "But I've been meaning to ask about it...is he okay?"

"Is Tony okay? No, of course not," Pepper said drily.

"Oh no! Is it...is it his heart?" Bruce remembered Tony's recovery from the surgery to remove the arc reactor from his chest. It hadn't been pretty, but he had thought it was successful. But of course, bodies can change.

"His--oh, no, Bruce, I'm sorry, I was just being a jerk. He's physically fine, the shrapnel is all gone and all of that. It's not--it's not medically necessary, what he did. Not at all."

"Oh. What...did he do?"

"I can't believe he hasn't already showed it off to you."

"I think Tony has actually been kind of trying _not_ to freak me out." And Bruce had been avoiding asking questions, afraid of what answers he might get.

"That doesn't sound like Tony."

"I know, it's weird."

Pepper stirred and pressed the coffee, then poured herself a cup and stirred a splash of almond milk into it. "Well, I'm sure he'd be thrilled to explain all the technical details to you, but he installed a little thing in his chest to hold a nano-Iron Man suit."

"What?"

Pepper sipped her coffee before answering, "It's a suit. It--it all comes out of there. I don't know why it has to light up all the time. I think he just likes it to. I hate it."

Bruce frowned into his mug, trying to understand. If what Pepper was saying was true, it was an incredible technological breakthrough. He tried to put the implications aside and force himself to focus on her initial complaint, the glowing circle."If nothing else, he could probably put an opaque panel over it…but you're probably right that he just likes the effect of it."

"I guess it's not even the light that bothers me that much. It's just...when the arc reactor was there, at least I could look at it and think, _that's keeping him alive_. Now I look at that stupid thing and think, _that's going to get him killed._ "

Pepper looked up at him, guilt flashing across her face. "Sorry, is this--do you not want to talk about this?"

"No, it's fine. I want to know what's been going on."

"It's just, for awhile, things were so good. He got rid of all his suits, he got rid of his arc reactor. I mean, he--he still had the nightmares, and he was still, you know, _Tony_ , but...things were...sort of normal. But as time went on, it was just clear to me how much he missed the suits, and I hated being in the way of that. We fought pretty bad for a while, and I...needed a break...but then after Rhodey got hurt, I came back. And for a while, Tony was so focused on Rhodey and on the fallout from the Accords that it was okay. I mean, I hate to say it, because it was an awful time. But then Rhodey got better, and Tony was just obsessed with the idea of getting caught somewhere without an Iron Man suit. He--he hadn't brought one for the signing of the Accords, when, when the Winter Soldier attacked...and he couldn't stop thinking about how things would have been different, if he'd had one."

Pepper took a long sip of coffee. Bruce said, "That sounds hard." He couldn't help but think that things also would have been different if he--if the Hulk--had been there. But perhaps not for the better.

"I just don't understand why it has to be _him_. He's not in the Army, he's not a policeman. Rhodey, I get it, kind of, although all of this still seems like more than what he signed up for, but Tony? He's an engineer. Why does he have to be the one out there fighting aliens and whoever? Why can't he just give the suit to someone else? Why'd he have to _permanently embed it into his body_?"

"I'm not sure," Bruce said.

"If you could give the Hulk to someone else, you would, wouldn't you?"

Bruce winced. He took a moment to think it through, and was aware--for the first time in awhile, maybe the first time since he'd gotten back to Earth--that the Hulk was listening. "I--I don't know, actually."

"Really? But you…" she stopped herself for a moment, tapping her long nails on the table. "I'm sorry, I'm being very rude. I guess I just assumed, based on how you always seem to talk about it."

"It's fine. Of course I would want--" he started to say, then stopped when he realized the Hulk seemed...hurt. He bit his lip and continued, "It's just, thinking about all the repercussions of it--if I gave the Hulk to someone else, would they be able to control him? It took me a long time to be able to. If they couldn't, wouldn't anything they did be my fault?"

"No, what--why are you two both so obsessed with whose _fault_ things are. Sometimes things just _happen._ "

"The Hulk didn't just happen, though. I made him. I didn't mean to, but I did. So that means I'm responsible for him." Bruce sipped his tea. "I guess it would make sense if Tony felt the same way about the Iron Man suit. Suits."

"But the suits aren't _alive_." Pepper frowned. "Actually, the new one might be, I don't even understand how it works. He's probably going to implant the next one directly into his brain. I don't think he'll ever stop."

Bruce drank his tea, trying to think what benefits a brain implant might grant Tony's armor. The AI integration had already been so responsive, but he supposed it could always be improved. He knew it wasn't what Pepper actually wanted to talk about, but now the idea was in his head.

Pepper said, softly, "I just wish that I was enough for him."

Bruce looked up, shaken from his problem-solving reverie. "Oh, Pepper, no, it's not that _you're_ not enough. It's that Tony doesn't think _he's_ enough."

"Well, that's ridiculous," Pepper said, crossing her arms.

"You know, when SHIELD first brought me in, to, uh, help find the Tesseract, I was...really a wreck, even before Loki got into the mix. I'd been living on my own, on the run, for...a long time. And I...I'd always wished I'd just died in the accident--"

" _Bruce_ \--" Pepper said. Her tone was stricken, and the Hulk was tensely coiled around the edges of Bruce's mind.

Bruce waved his hand, trying to reassure both of them. "Sorry, I'm just saying it's how I felt at the time. And Tony told me that he thought the Hulk saved my life for a reason, which I...hadn't ever thought about in quite those terms. I wasn't really ready to hear it then, but...he was the first person to suggest that it wasn't just...horrible. And I think he feels the same way about Iron Man. And--and Yinsen, the man who helped him build it. That there must be a reason why Tony survived."

Pepper stared at him with tears in her eyes, and the Hulk quieted. "You know, I dragged him to three different couples therapists and he never said anything like this."

"To be fair, he hasn't exactly said all of this to me, either, it's--it's just conjecture. I--I'm not that kind of doctor, you know."

"Still. Maybe I shouldn't have been talking to a therapist. Maybe all I needed was someone who's as screwed up as Tony. No offense."

Bruce laughed. "None taken. But I think--you know, the project I was working on, when I...had my accident... I thought I was making something that was going to help people, to save lives. But it was actually the opposite. And I think that's how Tony felt about Stark weapons. I think he's trying to make up for all of that." 

Bruce remembered Tony telling him how shocked he was to find out that terrorists were using his company's weapons. For his part, Bruce had been shocked that he actually believed Tony's shock. He was used to hearing a certain amount of false outrage from authority figures, who couldn't _believe_ that their cars' faulty airbags killed children, but then did nothing to change their cars. Tony had shut it all down.

"Ugh, look at you, all dreamy-eyed," Pepper said. She rolled her eyes, but her tone was fond. "How'd I end up dating _two_ men with insane martyr complexes?"

"I'm sorry, I really couldn't tell you."

Pepper looked at her phone. "I'm going to my office, I've got a conference call to get ready for. But it was really good talking to you, Bruce. I appreciate your...screwed-up perspective."

"His screwed-up perspective on what?" Tony asked. He entered the kitchen and frowned at the empty French press.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't wash it out. We were talking about you, obviously," Pepper said with a small smirk.

"I need coffee, I can't tell if you're joking," Tony said, as he emptied the coffee grounds in the compost bin.

Pepper leaned in to kiss Tony and said, "I'll let Bruce catch you up, I've got a conference call with the Copenhagen office."

"Mm, tell them I love their Legos."

"Tony, I know you're no longer CEO of SI, but you do know that we don't make Legos, right?"

"Sure, but, you know, the Danish people as a whole. They do great work."

"With Legos."

"Yes."

"You know, I just think that sentiment would mean so much more coming from you, I'll let you tell them next time you talk to them," Pepper said, and left, carrying a seltzer up to her office.

Tony started his own coffee ritual and said, "Really, you were talking about me? That's fascinating subject material."

Bruce smiled. "Yes, actually. Pepper was telling me about your new nano-Iron Man suit?"

"Oh, was she? I bet she described it wrong."

"Well, she said she didn't really understand how it worked. She also said she couldn't believe you hadn't showed it to me already."

"Do you want to see it?"

"I mean, yeah, I'd love to see how it works." Tony started to stand up and Bruce held up a hand. "I mean, not right now, after breakfast is fine."

"I just...I wasn't sure if you were ready to jump back into Avengers stuff."

" _I'm_ not, but I'm still interested in your projects," Bruce said. The Hulk gave a low mental grumble.

"Pepper doesn't really get it, why I did it," Tony said. He pressed down the coffee and poured himself a cup, then stared into it.

"I know," Bruce said.

"But you do, don't you?" Tony tapped at his chest. "Now it's always with me. If--if I need it."

Bruce nodded, trying to keep his expression noncommittal. "How does it work?"

"I call it the Bleeding Edge," Tony said, launching into a detailed explanation of nanites. While he drank his coffee, he called on FRIDAY to project some supplementary diagrams. It was incredible.

"This is incredible," Bruce said.

"Isn't it just?" Tony asked. His eyes were shining with excitement.

"And imagine what else you could do with this tech. I mean, look how they multiply, you could build housing for a whole refugee camp like _that_ ," Bruce said, snapping his fingers. 

"Hey, yeah!" Tony said. He immediately started making some sketches in the air, which FRIDAY helpfully illuminated as he went. "Now, power sources could be an issue, but I've also been making a lot of progress with arc reactors--"

"What's the power draw for the nanites?" Bruce asked. "I assume solar panels would be out of the question?"

"Well--hmm," Tony said. "I mean, once a structure is stable...the issue with the armor is that it's always adapting to what I need. But a house--"

"--once it's built, it's built."

"And then you'd just need power for the house itself, which is essentially negligible. In comparison, anyway." Tony chugged the rest of his coffee. "Let's go get started."

"What, now?"

"Sorry, did you have something else to do today?"

"Uh, no, but don't you?"

Tony made a dismissive hand gesture. "Whatever it was, I'm sure it can wait. C'mon, I'll race you to the lab." He stood up from the table, put his mug in the sink, and activated his armor. It spread over his pajama pants and AC/DC T-shirt in an instant, and then Tony flew off down the hallway.

Bruce laughed quietly to himself. Since he obviously wasn't going to win the race anyway, he took a moment to put all the mugs in the dishwasher before following Tony to the lab, possibilities flying through his mind as he walked down the hallway.

* * *

4) 

Bruce just wanted an ordinary pencil, and he couldn't find one anywhere in the lab. There were smart styluses, and wax pencils for marking samples, and Sharpies...but no pencils. He decided to pay a visit to Rhodey's office. Rhodey's door was open, but Bruce paused in the doorway when he realized that Rhodey was on some kind of holographic phone call. From the doorway, Bruce could only see the back of the caller, but he only needed to hear a second of that voice to realize who Rhodey was talking to.

Bruce doubled over. He couldn't breathe, but he couldn't stay there. He had to--he had to get out. Panting and staggering, he made it down the hall to his bedroom. To the bedroom he'd been using. Bruce didn't know what to do. He'd been on the run before, and he was sure he could figure something out, but he didn't have _anything_ and he couldn't _breathe_.

He bent forward, head between his knees, trying to catch his breath. Intellectually he knew he was having a panic attack; practically, that information meant nothing to him. 

The door slid open and Tony gently touched his back.

"Don't _touch_ me," Bruce snapped.

Tony stepped back and said, "Okay, okay, just breathe, big guy."

"Don't--don't--" Bruce said, stumbling away from Tony and ending up on the floor. 

"Look. Rhodey texted me, said you saw him talking with Secretary Ross--"

Bruce hissed out something like a laugh. " _Secretary_ Ross? That's what he--what--"

"Yeah. Look, I know we haven't told you everything-- _I_ haven't told you everything but I was just waiting--do you want me to tell you now or uh, can I wait until you're breathing again?"

Somehow, Bruce felt simultaneously calmer and angrier. At least Tony wasn't denying it--but then it was true, and Bruce hadn't misunderstood. Tony and Rhodey were working with the man who'd made Bruce's life hell for years. Bruce fought to breathe, while Tony anxiously shuffled his feet.

"You're okay," Tony repeated, which wasn't true, but eventually Bruce's panic attack subsided and he was able to breathe. It didn't change the course of action he knew he'd have to take.

Tony said, "I--I knew you'd find out eventually. But. Listen." Bruce said nothing, and after a pause, Tony continued, "Look. He sucks. I know he sucks. But he's also the U.S. Secretary of State, and we--I told you about the Sokovia Accords, we made a bad deal, because it seemed like the best option out of all the shitty options."

"He _sucks_?" Bruce asked. It shocked him to hear Tony speaking so cavalierly about the man who'd done so much to ruin Bruce's life. "That's one way to put it. I--Tony, I have to go, I can't--I can't go back to him, I won't--"

"Bruce, no, of course not. He doesn't know you're here. He doesn't ever have to. He never comes here, we barely ever talk to him." Tony's tone was soothing, like he was talking to a cornered animal.

"But you do talk to him."

"Bruce, remember, I told you about...the Sokovia Accords. And how I wasn't in a good place. This was all...part of that...and I know that Ross...I knew what he had done. But he told us he was a different person. And I wanted to believe him...I wanted to believe that people can change. And anyway, he's not with the Army anymore. He's the Secretary of State. He works with the UN, I thought…it doesn't matter. I was wrong. And now we're kind of...stuck with him. After the Accords, he's the Avengers' liaison to the UN."

"I can't stay here, Tony. You don't--you don't know what he--" Bruce's chest tightened. Some part of him realized that Tony really didn't know the full extent of what Ross had done. Bruce hated to talk about it, and Ross had won the ability to make his version of events the official record.

"You don't have to sign the Accords. Peter hasn't."

"Peter is a _child_. He would have to have an adult sign on his behalf," Bruce snapped.

Tony sucked in a breath before saying, "Okay. Yeah. But still, the--there was a lot of public backlash, you know. When Steve refused to sign the Accords, and then when people found out they wanted to _arrest_ Captain America...well, it didn't go over well. Cap's a popular guy."

"Then why is _he_ here?" Bruce pointed roughly in the direction of Rhodey's office.

"Strictly speaking, Secretary Ross is not here, he's probably in DC…"

"But you work with him. Talk with him." 

"Technically, Rhodey talks to him. I never take his calls. I'm pretty far down on the list of his favorite people."

"You're above me, though."

"Yeah, I guess that's...probably true."

"It's not that I think the Accords are the worst idea," Bruce said. "In theory. But General Ross is literally the worst possible person to be in charge of them. Tony, he hunted me for _years_ , like an _animal_. He made--he tried to make another Hulk. And I--I can't believe you let me stay here, when, when you _knew_ he would--"

"Bruce, listen, I told you, I know he sucks. And he has no idea you're here, I promise."

"But how long can that last?" Bruce asked. "I've lived off the grid for years because of him and this--this is extremely on the grid. This _is_ the grid."

"Hiding in plain sight! It's a genius strategy."

"I have to go," Bruce repeated softly. He heard heels clicking and turned to face the door.

"You don't _have_ to go," she said.

"You spent a lot of time with us at Avengers Tower, in New York. That was pretty on the grid," Tony said.

And Bruce had spent every day with an escape plan in his back pocket. "I know, but things were different, then. I knew Ross was still out there, but I thought maybe Fury and SHIELD would...have my back. I don't know."

"We have your back," Tony said. "If Ross tried--"

Bruce shook his head. "Look--it was my mistake that created the Hulk, and I have to live with that. If the UN decided that I should be put to death for the Hulk's crimes--"

" _Bruce_ ", Pepper said, but he kept talking over her.

"--I would _agree_ with them, but the problem is I already _tried_ and it won't work. And I tried to find a cure, and Ross--Ross doesn't _want_ me cured, he just wants the Hulk as his own personal weapon. And I will do _everything_ in my power to keep the Hulk out of his hands."

"Even if it means leaving us?" Pepper asked.

Bruce nodded. "I'm sorry…" he said.

The apology hung in the air for a moment before Pepper drew him into a tight hug.

"Hey--" Tony said, and cut off, apparently having sensed a change of balance in the room. Pepper wasn't arguing with Bruce.

"I wish it didn't have to be this way," Bruce said.

"I'm telling you, it _doesn't_ have to be this way," Tony insisted.

"Where will you go? What do you need?" Pepper asked.

"I'll figure something out," Bruce said. "I always have before."

Pepper opened the drawers that she'd helped Bruce fill only weeks earlier. She frowned and said, "I'll be right back. _Don't go anywhere._ "

She left, and Tony said, "Bruce, I'm sorry, I really--I mean, I knew you had a history with the guy, but I guess I didn't--I didn't know how bad it was."

"And that's why you kept it from me?" Bruce realized he was maybe being hypocritical, since he hadn't exactly volunteered his own history with Ross, but...how could Tony not have _known_ how terrible Ross was? Tony was one of the smartest people Bruce knew. How could he have been fooled? (Again, some small, rational part of Bruce reminded himself that he, too, had once been fooled by Ross--but that part was severely overruled by Bruce's fight-or-flight response kicking into overdrive.)

"Hey, I mean--you have unfiltered internet access. We get the New York Times delivered here. I didn't bring it up, but..."

Bruce sighed. The truth was, he had been willing to accept a simplified version of reality because it had been so _nice_. "You're right," he said. "I…should have known this was all too good to be true."

Tony opened his mouth to reply, when Pepper returned with a backpack and a down jacket. "That's mine!" Tony said.

"Bruce needs it," Pepper said. "He doesn't have any cold weather clothes."

"I'm not contributing to this," Tony said.

"It's fine, I don't need a jacket."

Pepper shoved the jacket in the backpack and started packing other clothes in it.

"You're seriously going _right now_?" Tony asked. "Pepper, you're enabling this?"

"If he's going to go, I want him to be warm," Pepper said.

"I walked into Rhodey's office when he was talking to Ross. What if he saw me?"

"It doesn't work like that," Tony said.

"How do you know he doesn't have other ways of listening? You say he never comes here--maybe it's because he doesn't need to."

"Well, if that's the case, why hasn't he come for you already?" Tony asked. "Besides, you really think that jackoff can get through _my_ security?" 

"I don't know, and I can't wait around to find out!" Bruce insisted. He knew from experience that Tony's tech wasn't always as infallible as Tony liked to believe it was.

Pepper handed him the backpack and said, "Bruce, we love you, and you can always come back. Whenever you're ready, you'll have a home with us."

"Thanks, Pepper," Bruce said softly, giving her a last hug and kiss.

Tony said, "Wait, do you want a ride? Where are you going? We're kind of in the middle of nowhere."

"I'll be fine," Bruce said. It was really only a few miles to the next town; Tony just thought it was the middle of nowhere because it wasn't Manhattan.

"You're not even going to tell us where you're going?" Tony asked. "You know you can trust us."

"It's not that I don't trust you. It's just…" Bruce made a gesture. "You know as well as I do how surveillance footage can be hijacked."

"I'll drop you off at the bus station in town," Tony said, and when Bruce opened his mouth to reply, Tony held up his hand. "I don't care if you're taking a bus or not, at least I'll know you're not lost in the woods. And it's as good a place as any to get lost in a crowd."

"Okay," Bruce agreed, because Tony did have a point. He took his phone out of his pocket and dropped it on the bed. Then he shouldered the backpack and started walking toward the door.

"Like, literally right now, though?" Tony asked.

"If it's an inconvenient time for you, I'm happy to walk."

Tony threw an arm around Bruce's shoulder and said, "No, fine, let's go. If you must." Tony propelled Bruce out to the garage and into a sports car that was the opposite of low profile. Bruce reminded himself that it didn't matter, he wouldn't be in it for long.

Before starting the car, Tony pulled out a flip phone from his pocket. "Tony," Bruce started to say, and Tony held up a hand.

"It's not for you. It's--do you have a pen?"

Bruce snorted, but then he checked his backpack and found, with a twinge, that Pepper had packed a pencil and book of sudoku puzzles. "I guess I do."

"Write this down," Tony said, and read a phone number out of the flip phone. "Um. When Cap went off the grid, he sent me this phone with his number programmed. In case I needed to get ahold of him. Which, by the way, would be a great idea for you to try, when you get to wherever you're going."

"Sure."

"Anyway...I'm sure he'd be happy to hear from you."

"Thanks, Tony," Bruce said. 

"And you--do you have my number?"

Bruce tapped his forehead. "Memorized." He'd always had a good memory, and it had served him well living on the run. It wasn't smart to keep too many notes. 

"You sure? Say it back to me."

Bruce did, and Tony said, "Well, good. I guess...you have everything you need, then." He started the car and pulled out of the garage.

"You're not going back to space, right?"

"Not planning on it, no."

"If you change your mind, just--just let me know, before you blast off." Bruce laughed, and Tony said, "I'm serious. I looked for you, you know. A--a lot. The last few years. But I was looking on Earth, so...I was unsuccessful."

"If it makes you feel any better, it wasn't really my decision."

"Somehow, it doesn't. Ugh, I can't believe you're going to leave me here, all alone."

"You're not alone, Tony. You have Pepper, Rhodey, Happy...Peter…"

"Fine. And you're going to leave them all behind?"

"Tony, I'm not doing this because I want to. I have to."

"But you _don't_."

"I'm not debating this, Tony."

"I know," Tony said. They rode for a few minutes in silence before pulling into the tiny Greyhound station. "We're here."

"Thank you."

"Bruce...I'm sorry."

"Me too."

Bruce stepped out of the car and shouldered his backpack. He felt a resigned calmness settle over him. He was doing what he had to do.

"Wait," Tony said. He stepped out of the car and threw his arms around Bruce, angling for a kiss. Bruce stopped and kissed him back. But when Tony tightened his arms and slipped his hands down to Bruce's ass, Bruce sighed and stepped away.

"You're really going to leave all this behind?" Tony asked, gesturing at himself.

"It's not easy."

"Good." 

"Um, tell everyone else I said...goodbye."

"Fine." Tony lingered outside the car, until Bruce finally nodded at him and walked inside the bus station. He thanked his lucky stars that the bus station still had a working pay phone, and he dialed one of the numbers he had recently memorized.

* * *

5)

After the aircraft touched down on a landing field that was so high tech it made Bruce suddenly unsure he was still on Earth, Bruce said, for perhaps the 20th time, "Seriously, Thor, thank you. I really appreciate it."

"Of course, Banner! Say no more of it. The people of Asgard owe you a great debt."

Bruce fidgeted until he managed to undo the safety harness, and stumbled out of the aircraft. He felt uncomfortable whenever Thor mentioned this debt, because Bruce didn't really remember earning it. 

"Hey, when I meet T'Challa, should I, uh, bow or something?"

"Bow?" Thor asked. His new prosthetic eye somehow twinkled with the same sense of amusement as his real eye.

"You know, because he's a king?"

"I am also a king."

"Oh. Right. Should...I have been bowing to you?"

"No, that is quite unnecessary. We are equals, you and I, even though you are not actually of royal blood."

"Oh. Okay. What should I do…?"

"Just be yourself," Thor said, with a hearty pat on the shoulder. "Ah, _this_ self, if possible."

"No problem."

"I am sure Wakanda would find a way to welcome the Hulk, but Banner is the one who was invited."

"No, yeah, I get it."

A few guards stood at attention around the periphery of the field. Thor nodded at them. Bruce marveled at both the scenery and the futuristic buildings. He wished Tony could see them, and immediately banished that thought from his mind. Instead he allowed himself to enjoy the warmth on his skin and the fragrant scent of the air.

A girl with her hair in two buns, who looked to be about college-aged, approached them with a wide smile. "Thor! I think you have brought me the most useful of all the broken white boys."

"Um," Bruce said.

"A joke, forgive me. Dr. Banner, my name is Shuri, I'm excited to meet you."

"Of course," Bruce said, extending his hand. "I've read about your work, I'm excited to meet you too." She was younger than he'd expected, based on her work, but Bruce wasn't too surprised by young geniuses.

"Shuri is in charge of Wakanda's design group, as well as their scientific exchange program," Thor said. "She is also a princess, but you do not need to bow to her, either."

"Oh, no, please don't," Shuri said, with a modest wave of her hand. "How was your flight? Are you hungry?"

Bruce froze. He was kind of hungry, but he didn't want to impose any further than he already was. Before he could answer, though, Thor said, "I am!" 

"Oh, of course _you_ are," Shuri said. "Very well, we will get something to eat, and then I can show you my lab, Dr. Banner."

"That sounds great, thank you," Bruce said.

"Shuri, do you think there is any jollof rice?" Thor asked. 

"I will see what can be arranged."

"The food here is amazing," Thor said. " _Much_ better than on Sakaar."

"I should hope so," Shuri said. She led them through one of the buildings, into a comfortable kitchen--beautiful, but not ostentatious. She tapped on her bracelet and the door to the refrigerator became transparent, and a list of the contents glowed in the air. "Ah, it looks like you are in luck, Thor. Dr. Banner, what would you like?"

"Please, call me Bruce. And anything is fine, thank you. Oh, except, um, I'm vegetarian," he said, apologetically. 

"That is no issue, many Wakandans are also vegetarian." She took out a container of rice, scooped out portions onto plates, and, as far as Bruce could tell, heated them up with her bracelet. 

"Did you just heat up our food with your bracelet?" he blurted out.

"Yes--I apologize for the leftovers, but you have arrived between usual meal times."

"No, no, I mean, how does that work?"

She smiled. "These are kimoyo beads. They have many purposes."

"They use vibranium?" 

"Yes. I can explain more later, in my lab."

"That is so cool," Bruce enthused. His ICYMI box had included a few articles about Wakandan technology, ever since T'Challa had made his surprising announcement to the UN. Thor had told him some details as well, during their occasional Skype chats. But seeing it all in person was beyond what any journalist or Asgardian had been able to describe.

"Yes, extremely cool. Or rather, in this case, warm. But we can discuss it later. Tell me, Bruce, how was New York?"

"Um, fine."

"Did you see _Hamilton_?"

"What?"

" _Hamilton_ , the musical," Shuri said. "It's about Alexander Hamilton."

Bruce paused, thoughtfully chewing his mouthful of rice. He couldn't tell if this was a joke. "Um. No. Uh, I'm not usually much for musicals."

"No, me neither, but _Hamilton_ is amazing! I would very much like to see it."

"And it's...it's a real musical? About Alexander Hamilton? The, uh, one from the American Revolution?" he asked. It seemed so unlikely. Maybe there was another Alexander Hamilton who'd attained fame over the last few years.

She shot him an incredulous look. "Oh, my goodness, you have so much catching up to do."

"Yeah, I know," Bruce said. 

"You'll catch on quickly, I'm sure!" Thor said confidently. "I have."

Shuri made eye contact with Bruce and shook her head minutely, then giggled. "Of course you have, Thor. Tell me again, what did you call my brother when you first met him?"

"I misunderstood his title! A mistake anyone could have made," Thor protested.

Shuri's eyes danced and she said, enunciating carefully, "He called him the Black Pants-er."

"I speak ten languages, you know," Thor said, with an air of wounded dignity. "And he was wearing black pants, it made sense to me. Many warriors take a name from their garments. Just look at the Iron Man." 

Thor took his plate, which had been rapidly scraped clean, and put it in what Bruce assumed was a dishwasher, although it looked more like a transporter from Star Trek. He clapped Bruce across the shoulder and said, "Banner, it has been excellent to see you, but now I have matters to attend to. You will be in excellent hands with Shuri."

"Thanks, Thor, I'll see you around, man."

"Yes, I look forward to showing you the progress we've made on the Asgardian resettlement project."

After Thor left, Shuri showed Bruce how the dishwasher worked and then led him to her lab, which was astonishing on every level, even for someone who'd spent the last several weeks immersed in literal alien technology as well as Tony Stark's workshop. Bruce was afraid he was going to come across like an idiot first-year grad student, rather than a multiple-PhD-holding scientist who might actually be able to contribute to the Wakandan science and information exchange program, but he couldn't seem to stop saying "wow." The lab was a gorgeous mixture of natural beauty and futuristic sleekness. Fortunately, Shuri seemed pleased by his enthusiasm, as did the handful of other scientists she introduced him to.

Bruce was in the middle of enthusing over a device that seemed functionally like a SPECT gamma scanner, only better, when another person entered Shuri's lab. He didn't look like the other scientists. Shuri smiled and waved him over.

"Bucky! Come, meet Dr. Bruce Banner."

Bruce sized up the newcomer. He looked younger than Bruce had imagined Bucky Barnes would be. Bruce had known, intellectually, that Bucky would probably look around the same age as Steve. But he also knew that Bucky had fought in WWII. The man standing in front of Bruce appeared to be in his 30s. He was wearing what looked like a basotho blanket and only had one arm, which he extended to Bruce.

Bruce shook his hand and said, "Hi, nice to meet you."

Bucky nodded, his face impassive, his grip...very strong. "Steve told me about you."

"Oh…" Bruce said. 

"He said you're friends with Tony Stark."

"Oh. I--yes."

Bucky looked at him, his gaze steady. He seemed to be waiting for something more from Bruce. Bruce thought back to what he'd heard about Tony and Steve's fight. It sounded terrible, and Bruce understood why Tony wasn't in touch with Steve. But Steve had always been decent to Bruce, and Bucky had been brainwashed. 

Bruce cleared his throat and said, feeling slightly hypocritical, "Uh, I've been kind of off the grid for a few years. I heard I missed some stuff? But any friend of Steve's is a friend of mine. If--if you'd like." 

Bucky didn't quite smile, but his expression grew less solemn. "I'm not really in a position to turn down friends."

"Me neither," Bruce replied. 

"I'm sure Shuri will get you fixed right up. She's amazing," Bucky said.

"Hmm?" Bruce asked. He suddenly remembered Shuri calling him a "broken white boy." She hadn't been wrong, but he didn't think he was fixable.

"Dr. Banner is here as part of Wakanda's scientific exchange. He is a renowned biophysicist," Shuri said.

"Oh, uh, sorry, I thought you were the one who, you know, turned into a green monster when you lost your temper," Bucky said. "Which one is that?"

"No, that's, um, that's definitely me," Bruce said. The Hulk was listening to this conversation very closely. 

"Oh," Bucky said, his brows furrowed.

"Uh, I spent years trying to figure out a way to reverse the process, and I'm pretty sure I'm stuck with the Other Guy."

"I'm sure you did your best," Shuri said cheerfully. "But...advances have been made. If that's a project you would like to pursue...I would be happy to help."

Bruce tugged at the collar of his shirt. The room suddenly felt warm.

"I, uh, I guess it wouldn't hurt to just...just see what information we could collect," Bruce managed. He supposed it was arrogant to assume that Shuri wouldn't be able to reverse the Hulk, given everything he'd already seen after just a few hours in her lab, but he just didn't believe it was possible. Still, it would be a good idea to collect some fresh biometric data. Bruce could tell something was different, since Sakaar, but he hadn't figured out what.

Bucky looked perplexed. "Shuri gave me my mind back. I'm sure she could help you."

"No, yeah, that sounds nice," Bruce said. "It's just that the Other Guy, uh, comes in handy sometimes." He felt Hulk's wary pride at that. Bruce acknowledged him and then urged him to retreat. He'd felt dangerously close to the surface, which was not at all the first impression Bruce wanted to make here.

"Yeah, I guess I did hear about that, too," Bucky said. "So it's not just like, bam, you get mad, you're the Hulk?"

"It used to be," Bruce admitted. "It's...it took me a long time to figure out how to control him. Work with him. Well, it's an ongoing process."

Bucky raised his eyebrows and Bruce hastily raised his hands, palms out, and added, "No, no, don't worry. I promise."

"Fair enough," Bucky said.

An awkward silence lingered, and Shuri asked, "Is it true that Americans put their initials on their towels?"

"Uh, sure, some people do," Bruce managed to say. 

"Because you two might get your towels mixed up." Bruce and Bucky were both silent for another moment, and Shuri sighed and said, "Because you have the same initials. I'm sorry, I was just trying to end the awkward silence."

"My first name is actually James," Bucky said.

"Mine is Robert."

"Oh, thank goodness, that solves that problem," Shuri said. "Although it does raise another issue, which is, how many names do you colonizers have?"

Bruce laughed, a little uncertainly. "Three, I guess. Um, four, if Hulk counts. Do you just have one? Like Beyonce?"

Shuri smiled back. "Whew, you don't know _Hamilton_ but at least you know Beyonce. You're a step ahead of Bucky."

"Yeah, turns out you miss a lot of stuff when you get cryogenically frozen for decades. Can't say I recommend it."

Bruce nodded. "I'd say the same thing about getting stranded in outer space for a few years."

"You were in _space_?" Bucky asked. "Steve didn't tell me that."

"Yeah, I'm not sure he knew. I didn't exactly leave a note."

"Should I not tell him? I...understand if you're trying to stay off the grid."

Bruce thought for a moment. "I'm not exactly trying to broadcast my location, but I imagine Steve can keep it to himself. Do you talk to him often?"

"We Skype a few times a week or so. Do you know about Skype? It's great."

"Yeah, I guess it is."

Shuri shook her head and smiled. "So primitive, but I suppose it gets the job done."

"Anyway, I'll, uh, get out of your hair," Bucky said. "I didn't realize Shuri had a guest."

"Oh, I didn't mean to--disrupt anything?" Bruce asked. "I can, uh…" and then he trailed off, because he had no idea where he was or what else he might do with his time. Presumably Thor and Val were somewhere nearby, but he had no idea how he'd go about finding the Asgardians.

Shuri laughed. "It's alright. We'd just about finished Bruce's orientation. We can continue tomorrow--I'd hate to overwhelm him."

"Too late," Bruce muttered.

Shuri looked at her bracelet. "We have just a little time before dinner. Bucky, I'll give you a check-up afterward. Now, let me take a moment to show you both something important. Something life changing." Bruce tensed a little, unsure how much more life change he could take in a day. She made a few quick motions and a large display screen lit up. "This is the Broadway cast of _Hamilton_ performing at the Tony Awards, listen closely. It's important that you be familiar with your American heritage."

* * *

*)

"Hello, brother," Shuri said, glancing up from her console and extending her arm for a complicated handshake. "When did you get home?"

"I got in last night," T'Challa said. "How are your preparations for the Wakandan Outreach Center?"

"Things are going smoothly. It has been most helpful to have an American's perspective," Shuri said, nodding at Bruce. "I never would have realized how little they know!"

"Happy to help," Bruce said drily. 

T'Challa smiled at him, the same extremely patient smile all Wakandans seemed to have for him. "Oh, this came for you," T'Challa said. He held out a manila envelope, which at first Bruce ignored, assuming that it was for Shuri. T'Challa gestured with it and said, "Bruce."

"Oh! Sorry. I, uh, didn't know I could get mail here?" 

"Technically, you can't. It came in a diplomatic pouch, which is a misuse of the embassy's resources," T'Challa said. He sounded stern but there was a hint of a smile playing around his lips.

Bruce sighed. "Sorry. I assume it's from Tony?" Once he'd gotten settled in Wakanda, he'd kept his word and stayed in Skype contact with Tony and Pepper. He'd had it on good authority that Secretary Ross had no jurisdiction in Wakanda. It was the best place Bruce had ever run away to.

T'Challa shrugged. "I did not open it."

Bruce carefully took the lightweight envelope, wondering what might be in it. It was addressed in Tony's precise handwriting to "Bruce, Wakanda." Tony hadn't told him to expect anything. He and Pepper had both seemed distracted lately. And Bruce hadn't pressed them--he'd been busy himself, although he did miss them.

The envelope contained two things: the first was a news clipping, which Bruce took a moment to digest. It appeared that Thaddeus Ross was stepping down as Secretary of State, effective immediately, in order to "spend more time with his family." The other item was an invitation to Pepper and Tony's wedding, which would be held in one month's time in New York.

"Good news, I take it?" T'Challa said. Bruce hadn't realized the king was still standing there. Bruce hadn't realized that he was smiling, but he was.

"Yes, it is." He tilted his head and added, "It also could have been delivered by email, but, uh, Tony can be a bit dramatic."

Shuri craned her head to look at what he was holding and grinned. "Dramatic? No, it would be terrible etiquette to send a wedding invitation _online_. Are you going? You have to go. Can I be your plus one? Do you think we can get _Hamilton_ tickets?"

"Shuri," T'Challa said.

"Not as a date, _ew_ ," Shuri said. "No offense."

"No, none taken, obviously," Bruce said hastily. He knew Shuri knew that he had no romantic interest in her, but he didn't want any chance of T'Challa getting the wrong impression.

"But he will need a pilot!"

"Oh, I'm sure I could--" Bruce started, but Shuri elbowed him.

"And then we'll be right there, in New York. _The greatest city in the world,_ " she sang.

"Actually--" Bruce said, and Shuri elbowed him again. Harder, this time.

"If you don't let me go with Bruce to New York, you _have_ to take me to Disneyland," Shuri said.

"Perhaps Bruce has someone else in mind to accompany him."

"Oh, uh, no," Bruce said. He rubbed his arm. T'Challa gave him a look that was maybe slightly pitying. Bruce did wonder if Thor had been invited, which would be convenient, but he didn't want to interfere with Shuri's machinations.

"Very well," T'Challa said, after a long look at Shuri. "Nareema will assist you with arrangements."

"Yess," Shuri said.

"Please convey my congratulations to the happy couple," T'Challa said.

"Of course. And thank you for the delivery service," Bruce said, waving the envelope.

T'Challa nodded and said something in Xhosa to Shuri. She grinned and replied. Bruce had been working on learning the language, but they were speaking too quickly for him to parse. Luckily, he'd had plenty of time to adapt to feeling out of the loop.

***

Bruce fussed with the collar of his beautifully embroidered linen jacket. Shuri slapped his hand. "Stop this, you are ruining perfection." She'd picked out his outfit for him.

"Sorry," Bruce said. "I'm just…"

"You look very nice. Your boyfriend and your girlfriend will both be very happy to see you," she said. Her tone was teasing, but friendly.

"I agree," Val said. She was seated on the other side of him.

"Yes, you look very handsome, Banner," Thor said. He was past Val, sitting on the aisle. This gave the giant Asgardian the most leg room.

"Um, thanks, guys," Bruce said. He and his friends were all sitting in one of the first few rows at the Terrace on the Park in Flushing Meadows. He still couldn't believe Tony had convinced Pepper to get married at the site of the Stark Expo, but he had to admit it was a beautiful location.

Bruce folded his hands into fists to keep himself from fidgeting. "I just feel like everyone's looking at me," he said, apologetically. Outside of the safe confines of Shuri's lab, it had occurred to him that it was weird that a middle-aged man had brought a teenage girl to Tony Stark's wedding.

"No one is looking at _you_ , they are looking at Thor," Shuri said. She looked lovely. Bruce knew she'd designed her elaborately beaded dress herself.

"Yes, she is correct," Thor said. He nodded at an admirer, and then stepped out into the aisle to take a selfie with another wedding attendee.

"Oh. Yeah, that makes sense," Bruce said, relieved. He felt incredibly out of place at the wedding. He knew for a fact that his presence was wanted by the bride and groom, but he felt that everyone else must be wondering why he was there. Or worse, that they knew who he was--that they knew his secret. 

"Do you want a drink?" Val asked. She tilted a flask toward him.

"Oh, uh, no thanks."

"Suit yourself," she said. She took a long drink and then tucked it back into her dress. 

"Oh, is that Taylor Swift?" Shuri asked, tilting her head discreetly toward another wedding guest.

"Hmm, maybe?" he said. There certainly were a lot of celebrities there, and Bruce wouldn't have been surprised if Tony knew Taylor Swift.

Shuri tapped one of her kimoyo beads, covering the projected readout with her hand. "Facial recognition says it's not," she said with a slight frown. "I suppose blonde women all look alike to me." Shuri went back to scanning the crowd for celebrities of note. Bruce suspected she was trying to distract him. He appreciated it, although it had been disappointing when she misidentified the back of a man's head as Lin-Manuel Miranda and it had turned out to be a senator. 

Then Bruce felt a finger on his back and flinched. He half-turned and saw Peter Parker, accompanied by his friends Ned and MJ, who had her hair in a messy up-do and her mouth in a smirk. 

"Hey, Dr. Banner!" Peter said. He was trying to whisper, but failing. He looked even more uncomfortable in his suit than Bruce felt, and the sight made Bruce smile.

"Hey, Peter, good to see you," Bruce said, and it was. As much as he'd enjoyed the people he'd met in Wakanda, he had definitely missed Peter's awkward enthusiasm.

"Is it true that you've been in Wakanda?" Peter asked.

"Oh. Yes," Bruce said. He quickly introduced Shuri to the American teens. MJ seemed much more impressed by Shuri than she was by Bruce, and then Thor returned to his seat and really set them off. Bruce sighed, finally feeling at ease.

Then, music started. It took Bruce a moment to realize it was a string arrangement of AC/DC's "Back in Black," and Tony, accompanied by Rhodey, made their way up the aisle and stood. Tony scanned the crowd until he saw Bruce, who he gave a smile and nod. Bruce smiled back, feeling a pleasant flutter in his chest. Tony looked extremely handsome in his tux, the glow of the nanite housing faintly visible.

Then the music changed to the traditional wedding march, and Pepper entered, accompanied by a woman in a gold dress. There was a family resemblance between the two women, beyond the fact that they were both beautiful. Pepper always looked beautiful, but today she was radiant in an elegant white dress.

Bruce knew that Happy was officiating, having gotten a license online. When Bruce had called to RSVP for the wedding (Pepper had explained that they didn't enclose a stamped envelope because they weren't sure how Wakandan mail service worked), they'd asked Bruce if he wanted to participate in the wedding. He'd hesitated for only a moment before declining, and now he knew he'd made the right choice. Even if Ross was no longer the Secretary of State, even if Bruce could maybe relax a little bit...Bruce had never been comfortable in the spotlight, but he was thrilled to be there to bask in the reflected glow of Tony and Pepper's light.

The ceremony was perfect, in its imperfections. Happy nervously skipped part of his prepared speech and insisted on restarting from the beginning, oblivious to Tony's expression of exaggerated incredulousness. Tony's robot ringbearer got stuck on a rose petal, which made Shuri nearly hyperventilate with laughter. 

And when Happy told Tony it was time to read his vows, Tony pulled a note card out of his pocket, glanced at it, and discarded it. The last time Tony and Bruce had Skyped, Tony had been very stressed about writing his vows. Bruce didn't think he'd had much good advice, but most of the time, Tony really just wanted someone to listen to him talk out his own solution.

"Pepper, I've done a lot of really hard things in my life, but I think the hardest one has been trying to put into words how much you mean to me. And I'm sorry if I haven't always made you feel that, and I'm so happy that you're marrying me anyway, and I'm so grateful to all the incredible people who have been a part of our lives to help us make it to this point, and I just promise to keep trying every day to make sure you know how important you are to me. I love you."

Pepper's voice shook a little as she started her vows. "Tony, you always surprise me. Even literally right now. It's been such an honor to be with you as you continually strive to be a better man. A very stressful honor, but an honor. And I, too, want to thank the people who have helped us make it to this day. We're all stronger together. I love you so much."

Bruce felt a small, selfish burst of pride. He knew he'd turned down the chance to stand up in the wedding, but he was sure Tony and Pepper had made oblique mention to him, even in their improvised vows. Plus, they'd somehow gotten the Secretary of State removed from office for him. 

Down the row from him, Thor was crying loudly. Shuri passed him an embroidered handkerchief.

"Thank you, I always cry at weddings," he whispered.

Shuri whispered back, "I understand, these patriarchal colonizer ceremonies can be upsetting."

And Bruce just smiled, happy that the universe allowed them all a day of such joy.

As the newly-married couple made their way back down the aisle, Tony leaned in to whisper, "I'm glad you made it." To onlookers, it would appear that he'd paused to talk to Thor, but he was making eye contact with Bruce.

"Of course. I wouldn't have missed it for the world," Bruce said.


End file.
